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Russia Turn One Recommendations

Purchase infantry. Those two words should sum up virtually 100% of
your buying strategy the entire game. Maybe if you end a turn and the
Japanese are threatening Russia and you are going to have 2 IPCs left
over after buying your stack of infantry, go ahead and cash in one of
those infantry for a tank upgrade, but buy all infantry the rest of the
time.

Russia can do a lot on their first turn (hence the reason many
players play a Russia no attack first turn – if you’re playing the
Axis, you should demand this rule get played), and the nice thing about
Russia’s first turn is there is no guesswork about what the map will
look like. You get to go before every other player, so you can find your
optimal Russian first turn strategy and do it every time.

Here’s what I’ve found to be best.

Attack Manchuria with every unit that will reach, which includes the
Russian fighter in Russia.

Attack the Baltic navy with one fighter.

Attack the German sub in the Atlantic with your sub.

Attack the Ukraine with every tank/infantry that can reach.

Move your transport into the UK sea zone to help protect the UK
fleet. This usually allows the UK battleship to fire twice, typically
killing an additional German fighter when the Luftwaffe attacks.

Place all 8 infantry in Karelia and move all units from Russia up
into Karelia. If attacking the Ukraine was wildly successful, move the
infantry in Evenki into Yakut. If not, move them to Russia, or send one
each way. If Ukraine wasn’t taken, move one infantry into Caucuses to
serve as a roadblock to the German tanks in the Ukraine.